1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a computer program. More specifically, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a computer program for displaying map information, image data held in an information processing apparatus, such as a user's PC or digital camera, and the like are displayed together.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital cameras widely used in recent years are apparatuses that convert still images or motion pictures imaged by an imaging device, such as a CCD sensor, into digital-format image data and record the image data as digital data in a recording medium, for example, a memory card, a flash memory, or a hard disk.
In these digital cameras, photographed image data is stored in a recording medium in a format specified beforehand. Among many image formats, for example, in the case of an EXIF format in JPEG or a format of DV data, a field used to record a photographing position may be defined. For example, in a camera having a GPS function, processing for automatically measuring the photographing position and recording the measured position as attribution information of photographed data is executed. Such position information corresponding to images is used, for example, in a case of displaying a map in order to display the photographing position on the map.
For example, there is a map information providing service as one of the services through a network. The map information providing service refers to a service in which a request of map display of, for example, a specific area is transmitted from a user terminal, such as a computer or a portable terminal, connected to a network to a map information providing server and the map information providing server having received the request acquires a map of the area corresponding to the request and then transmits the acquired map to the user terminal. There is also a service that provides a satellite photograph other than a map.
In conjunction with such map information providing service, there is a service that allows data that a user holds, for example, image data photographed in travel places to be displayed on the positions on a map provided by a map providing server. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a marker 12 is set on the position corresponding to a place, to which a user has traveled, on a map 10 provided by a map providing server. The marker 2 is a marker for local image pop-up. An image 11 corresponding to photographs taken by the user is displayed by designating (for example, clicking) each marker. When each of the markers 12a to 12n is clicked, local image data corresponding to each position, for example, the user's image (for example, photograph taken during travel) 11 pops up.
In order to realize such information display, it is necessary to create a display structure description file, which describes the configuration for displaying map data, position information of a marker, and image information such as user's photographs according to a predetermined rule, for example, an HTML file. A user creates display data (HTML file) or requests the display data (HTML file) to a service providing server to create the display data (HTML file) and performs data display on the basis of the created HTML file.
In order to allow a map, satellite photographs, and the like, which are shown in FIG. 1, to be displayed together with user's local images so as to be linked to each other, for example, an AJAX (Asynchronous Java (registered trademark) Script+XML) technique is used. The AJAX technique uses an HTTP communication function of Java (registered trademark) script provided in a web browser. The AJAX technique is an interactive web application technique of enabling processing, such as updating of display data, by performing transmission/reception of XML-format data to/from a server without reloading a web page. In addition, the AJAX technique is mainly applied in a network service operating on an Internet browser.
Thus, by applying the AJAX technique, for example, it becomes possible to display an image, such as a user's local photograph, in combination with map or satellite photograph information provided by a map information providing server.
For example, the map information providing server issues an API (application program interface) key to the service providing server which is granted a right to create an HTML file or XML file, such that the key information is written in the HTML file or XML file created by the service providing server. Then, only when the key information is confirmed, it is allowed to use the API of the map information providing server, such that the data display processing shown in FIG. 1 is performed. For example, in the case when an HTML file stored in a local place on a personal computer is used, the utilization of the API of the map information providing server is not permitted by the above processing. Accordingly, the data display shown in FIG. 1, that is, an operation of causing a local image to pop up on a map is not possible, and thus service providing based on a license is realized.
As described above, by setting map information acquired from, for example, a map information providing server such that markers are set on the positions corresponding to position information (latitude, longitude) set as attribute information of images, such as photographs taken by a user and each image corresponding to the position pops up by operation (clicking) of a corresponding marker, the user can correctly see the photographing position of each photograph on a map.
However, the temporal relation of photographing date and time is not visually confirmed by simply displaying images on a map. Further, position information on all photographed image data that a user holds is not necessarily recorded. For images to which position information is not granted, positions are not set on a map, and accordingly, there occurs a problem that display processing associated with the map cannot be executed. Furthermore, there is also a problem that additional recording of position information with respect to the images, to which the position information is not granted, cannot be performed easily.